


Powerless Hakurei Tales 10.2:  Interlude

by Carmichael_Micaalus



Series: Powerless Hakurei Tales [8]
Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-05 02:07:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15854025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmichael_Micaalus/pseuds/Carmichael_Micaalus
Summary: Breaking my standard summary format for the first Interlude here.  (First one I wrote anyway; I may write 'back issues' later.)  Interludes take place between major incidents; a bit of a peek at their lives when not defending Gensokyo from a catastrophe.  This one takes place in the Winter and Spring between Mountain of Faith and Scarlet Weather Rhapsody; Winter focuses on Sanae adjusting to Gensokyo, while Spring is about Kasen taking notice of the return of power to the Hakurei Shrine.





	Powerless Hakurei Tales 10.2:  Interlude

Interlude (Winter)

 

“Yagokoro Brand Medicine… cures what ails ya.”  The lunarian rabbit announced calmly. Snow continued to fall as townsfolk passed by.

“Reisen…”  Tewi sighed.

“Yagokoro Brand Contraceptives… fuck to your heart’s content.”

“Are you _trying_ to get headbutted by the schoolmarm?”

“Eh, it’s late; no kids should be near.”

“Just…”

“Yagokoro Brand Marital Aids…”

“Reisen, _no._ ”

“...treat yourself!”

Though her companion chastised her, both could clearly see there was going to be little sold.  Most of the townsfolk had been convinced to purchase medicine earlier in the month, keeping the flu season rather short.

“Yagokoro Brand Medicine…”  She called once more. Activity was light in the town as most people had already finished their preparation for the upcoming Winter Solstice.  She cracked open a tonic.

“Didn’t think you could top that last-”

“Keeps your nips soft in the harshest of winters.”  She took a sip.

“By the fucking gods, Reisen…”  Tewi buried her face in her hands, sighing.

The commander’s eyes were drawn to the shrine maiden of Autumn and the wind charmer towards the end of the block.  She could see the two were out to secure donations while sunlight persisted. Sanae’s tone and movements were professional as people were near, but Reisen could see the tension in her body and posture after people passed by, giving the two only a word if anything.

“Ah, excuse me…” A woman called out; Reisen turned to her.

“Hey, here for supplies, pick-up, or an emergency?”

“Oh, ah supplies!”  The woman grinned nervously as she fetched her list.  “We need a roll of bandages, disinfectant…”

Her eyes moved back towards her friend and the newcomer as her ear caught a noise.  The wind charmer rubbed her temples as Reimu looked up at her, saying something with a nervous smile.  Sanae whipped around and snapped at her, her volume loud enough to reach the medicine peddlers. She could see the shrine maiden’s face crumple as she took a step back before turning and running off.  Immediate regret crossed Sanae’s face as she reached towards the girl before her shoulders slumped; the living god returned to rubbing her temples.

“And… I’m sorry, is everything alright?”  The customer asked quietly, noticing the developing glare on Reisen’s face.

“Not at all; Tewi?”

“I was listening,” Her partner responded, bagging up the goods, “go.”

“Where is she-?”  The woman asked as the lunar rabbit dashed down the road, heading toward a side street to catch up with Reimu.

“She saw something which didn’t sit right with her; she’s going to rectify that.”  Tewi looked up at the woman and smiled as she handed her a bag with supplies. “That’ll be fifteen-hundred.”

“O-oh.”  Handing over the money, both turned to the lunar rabbit.  “What did she see?”

“...are you a fan of violence?”  The bunny asked in place of an answer as she saw her companion stop and nod for a bit before turning to face the wind charmer; Tewi realized another friend of Reimu’s must be near by, possibly one of her gods.  As another person passed by, the rabbit had disappeared from sight.

“N-no?”  She answered, unsure of why she was being asked such a question.

“...You’re going to want to turn away right now.”  The bunny advised.

“What?”  As the customer looked at Tewi, Reisen slammed her fist into Sanae’s kidney.  The wind charmer let out a cry of pain as she wheeled around, gohei in hand. The rabbit blocked the counter attack as everyone in the immediate area could feel the field of the spell card rules emanate outwards.

Tewi sighed.

 

* * *

 

“This yours?”

Kanako blinked at the rabbit with a black eye and a crumpled ear, holding Sanae.

“Ah, yes.”  The god of wind and rain took the wind charmer.  She let out a groan, clearly disoriented. “What happened, Miss… Reisen, was it?”

“She made Reimu cry.”  She looked to the side as she reached into one of her pockets.  “I explained I didn’t appreciate that.”

“I see.”

“Here.”  She held out a pouch.  “Have her take this within the next hour or so if she doesn’t want to be pissing blood for a while.  But don’t be surprised if the next time she goes it’s that way.”

“...thank you.”

Still avoiding Kanako’s gaze, her eyes narrowed at the wind charmer for a moment.  “You can thank me by teaching her not to bully those who trust her.” Pulling her hat brim down, the rabbit left.

“Can you stand?”  Kanako asked quietly.

“Nn… everything’s still spinning; I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, just take it easy…”

There was a sour chuckle from the wind charmer.  “Divinity Yasaka, if I knew how to do that, I probably wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.”

The god tried hard to contain most of her laughter.  “O-okay, you still have your sense of humor, that- that’s good!”  She smiled wistfully as she carried the girl to her room. “At least I know it’s not too serious, then!”

“Ah, on- on my stomach, please…”  She requested as she felt herself get lowered to the futon.  “Got suckerpunched right in the kidney…”

“Speaking of which,” reaching into her side vent of her top, Kanako unclasped the wind charmer’s undergarment; she let out a groan of appreciation, “let me get you some water for that medicine…”

 

“Would you like to talk about it?”

Sanae rolled back onto her stomach after finishing the glass of water; she sighed.

“I just… I got stupid again.”  She went quiet as she thought about the tiny shrine maiden she met a few months ago.  “...and, like always, I took it out on her. And while I was thinking ‘why did I do that to her _again?’_ my body suddenly tells me ‘hey isn’t there supposed to be a kidney here? All we’re finding is a fist’.”

“Oh dear.”

She sighed.  “From there… it turned into a spell card battle in the middle of the town.  You can probably imagine how that went.”

The wind charmer fell silent again as her god stroked her hair, keeping her company.  Sounds of nature drifted in through the window as she held her head, fighting back a headache.  Her thoughts continued to revolve around the past few hours, refusing to let go.

“I just- I just hate that I let all of… the things they said at school bother me this bad.  And… I hate I keep taking it out on her.”

“Have you ever talked to her about it after… an outburst?”

“No.  I kinda figured she’s too young to really understand.”

“You do know she’s the same age as Marisa… right?”

Sanae opened her eyes, blinking.  Finding her equilibrium back where it belonged, she peered at Kanako.

“Are… are you serious?”

“Yes.”  She glanced at her believer.  “Come now, you should know not to judge a person’s age by their appearance.”

Sanae turned back, sighing.  “Lady Yasaka, Reimu isn’t saying lecherous things twentyfour-seven like Lady Moriya.”

Kanako chuckled.  “Al- alright, I’ll give you that one.  Just…” She leaned forward, giving the wind charmer a peck on the cheek.  “...talk to her tomorrow. Let her know why you did that after you apologize, okay?  I think it’s safe to say she’s not going to judge you for that.”

“Alright… thank you, Lady Yasaka.”

“Mm.  Rest now.  I’ll watch over you.”

 

* * *

 

“Alright, I’m off.”  Sanae announced as she wrapped her scarf around her neck.  “Take care.”

“Nn!  Sanae!”  Suwako called, mouth full of food.  The wind charmer returned to the room.  “Today uh… lay off the faith gathering. Take a break from that.”  The tiny curse god nodded before hunching over her breakfast once more.  “Arright, good talk. Take care.”

Kanako gave her divine companion a flat stare as Sanae stood still in shock.

“But Divinity Mor-!”

“Sanae.”  The god of wind and rain walked over to her priestess, putting her hands on her shoulders.  “Right now it’s important to pace yourself. I understand why you want to push so hard, but you’re going to wear yourself out.”  She leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together. I need you to take it easy today, okay? Please don’t make us worry.”

“...as you wish, Lady Yasaka.”

“Good!”  Standing back up, Kanako smiled down at her.  “Because I wish for you to have fun and enjoy yourself today.  Okay?”

Saying nothing, the wind charmer nodded.

“... _okay?_ ”  The god began shaking the wind charmers shoulders.

“O-o-okay!”  She laughed, despite herself.

“Good.  Now take care and try to enjoy the day.”

 

Landing at the torii of the Hakurei Shrine, it was quite easy for Sanae to tell that one of the local magicians had handled the shoveling duty that morning, judging by the clear walkway and charred snow at the edges.  Feeling the heat still emanating from the stones, the wind charmer realized she had made a good call stopping at the town before heading to the shrine, undoubtedly dodging the blast which cleared the way.

Approaching the offertory box, the wind charmer tossed in the change from her purchase and gave the rope a gentle shake.

“Ah, I was wondering if you were going to show today.”

Sanae glanced up to see Shizuha.

“Good morning, Divinity.”  She bowed. Her season almost at an end, the God of Leaves looked tired.  “I was hoping to talk to your shrine maiden, if that’s alright.”

“She’s busy…” She covered her mouth as she yawned.  “She’s busy right now.”

“Ah.  Well-”

“Princess Hourisan and Lady Fujiwara are currently receiving council from her,” Shizuha continued on, “if you’d like, you can wait until she’s done.”

“Oh- ah, yes, thank you.”

The God of Leaves grinned as she lead her around back.  “Thought I was just saying that to make you go away, eh?”

“I wasn’t about to blame you for it.”  Her brows came together for a moment. “I… thought those two didn’t get along very well.”

“Oh, they don’t.  At all.” Shizuha grunted.  “But back when Reimu and Marisa… _discovered_ Eientei, her highness _claimed_ she wished to make amends with Mokou… funny how little she acts like it.”

“How is Reimu involved in that?”

“She mediates between the two; helps them open a dialog.”  Rounding the corner, she motioned to a fire pit nearby. “They started coming over here since they actually make a little bit of progress, then.  Neither are nearly as likely to just start swinging in another’s house… especially with Mima here, heh!”

The two sat down; the fire provided a comforting warmth for the end of Autumn.  Behind them, snippets of the conversation could be heard through the thin walls.

“But… they’re making progress.  They can actually go to parties and… well, not say anything to one another, but… you know.  Baby steps.”

“I believe I remember how they were acting during the ‘incident solving’ party that first night.”  Sanae grinned. “They were throwing fire and magic at one another, Reimu just waved up to them and said ‘my lady, your highness, come meet my new friends!’ and they just flew right down and started behaving.  And then we found out that yes, we did hear her right, that was a princess from some hyper-advanced moon race, fighting a fallen noble from one of the most recognized families in Japan.”

“Heh heh!”  The God of Leaves grinned, nodding to herself.  “Yeah, we were surprised just how many people she knew as well.  We knew she had a lot of friends from the few times we’ve chat with her before, but…”

“...she really cares, doesn’t she?”  Sanae stared at the fire. “About everyone here, about… all of it.”

“She does.”

“That’s…”  She shook her head.  “It- you never saw that in the outside world.  No one believed, especially around my age. Believing in something… made you a target.”

“Did you get bullied a lot?”

She looked down at the logs, watching them blacken and flake apart.  “Not physically. Divinity Moriya lead a nation and Divinity Yasaka is a War God.  With what they taught me… no one was a threat. Ever.”

“Please- sit down you two.”  Reimu’s tired voice cut through the bickering.  “We cannot end another session like this… not without telling me why.”

Her curiosity piqued, Sanae opened a hand before slowly closing it, finger by finger.  A cool breeze picked up, carrying the quieting voices better.

“Your Highness, you _keep_ antagonizing Miss Mokou during these meetings, and it’s always as she starts to give you consideration.  I know this isn’t accidental. ”

There was a long pause.  “W-well… I’m… I’m afraid.”  The princess finally murmured.

“This better not be the set-up for another fucking joke, Kaguya.”  Mokou stated flatly.

“No!  No… it’s, well…”  She sighed.  “If- if we do become friends… what if she no longer wished to fight me anymore?”

Sanae slowly turned to the source of the voices.

“Fucking… _really?_ ”  Mima’s voice came from further back, speaking the very words the wind charmer thought.  The two could hear a growl from Hourai before the specter’s muttering voice faded away. There was a groan from Mokou.

“Ya- ya know, I think Mima’s question needs to be answered here.”

“No, listen!  Listen! At home, the only one who can provide me with a challenge is Eirin, but… well, she’s always going to pull her punches if she gains the advantage.  She’s also busy a lot, what with running a hospital and all. I don’t want to take her time away from that, and what little time I _can_ take with her, I’d prefer to spend talking, you know? ”

“That’s understandable, your highness.”

“And the bunnies, well… they’ll never fight with me like that, and even if Reisen did, Eirin would likely be unhappy with her.  But with Mokou… I can go all out whenever I want! It’s a wonderful source of entertainment and exercise, and… well, I don’t want to lose that.”

They could hear a long sigh.

“Kaguya… I can assure you… it will be a very, _very_ long time before I ever develop a problem with punching you in the face. ”

“Oh…!  Well, _thank_ you, Mokou…! ”

“...no problem.”

Sanae turned to Shizuha.  The God of Leaves shook her head.  “Just- don’t. It’s an old age thing combined with lunacy.  It- don’t. Trust me.”

“Thank you for telling us this, your highness.”  Reimu continued, bringing their discussion back on track.  “But please don’t forget that even friends have spell card duels with one another quite often.  People use them to spar safely and, as you yourself said, for exercise. And even if you and Mokou lessened how often you two battle, there are always others in Gensokyo willing to play as well.  It will be okay.”

The breeze coming to an end, Sanae shook her head.

“I… must apologize to you once again, Miss Hakurei.”  They could hear Kaguya as the door opened. “I realize I have wasted much of your time because of that.”

“We made progress today, and that’s the important thing to focus on, your highness.”  The shrine maiden smiled up at the two immortals. “I wish you both a good day.”

“Take care, kiddo.”  Mokou ruffled her hair.  “Get some sleep, okay?”

“I will.  Take care, Miss Mokou.”

“Good day, Reimu.”  Kaguya smiled at the shrine maiden as the two immortals left.  Watching them leave, Reimu sighed wistfully before turning, noticing the wind charmer with her god.

“Ah.  Good morning, Divinity Shizuha; Divinity Kochiya.”  She bowed.

The god of leaves smirked as the living god winced.

“Mm, back to Divinity Kochiya for ya;”  She covered her mouth as she stifled a yawn, giving her shrine maiden a wave.  “Guess she’s still hurting.”

“Good morning, Miss Reimu.”  Sanae stood and bowed to her.  “I did not realize you were working today, but I was hoping to talk to you.  I… wanted to apologize for last night.”

“Shinki’s love, you’re going to let her get away with this, aren’t you?”  Hourai muttered. “You were so upset you barely got any sleep last night, and now she’s just going to go ‘sorry, tee-hee!’ and that’ll be that, huh?”

“Oh, leave the poor girl alone!”  Shizuha smiled, waving at the doll.  Hourai grimaced.

“I’m trying to protect her from that bully!  You’re her god; you’re supposed to back me up on this!”

Sanae held out the bag of treats from the town.  The doll in red let out a disgusted sigh.

“That’s real dirty pool, you know…”  She muttered as her charge sat down next to the two.  Pulling out a piece of sweet bread, she handed it to Shizuha.

“Reimu, no.”  Shizuha chuckled.  “Not everything needs to be shared with us.  Besides, you have the metabolism of a hummingbird; eat.”

“Thank you.”

The wind charmer wrung her hands.  “I um… I was completely in the wrong last night.  You didn’t deserve any of those words I said. I was scared and… I lashed out at you.  I’m sorry, Miss Reimu.”

“It’s okay.”  The shrine maiden mumbled, nibbling on the bread.  Hourai let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her forehead.

“I believe you remember when Divinity Yasaka told you that Outside, there were days they had a hard time reaching me.”

She nodded.

“As they said, few believed, especially in my- well, in our generation… that made it difficult to keep them sustained.  On top of my duties as the wind charmer and a living god of the Moriya Shrine, I also had school. And… as a living god, I needed to be at the top of my classes.”

“Why is that?”

“...because out there, everyone looks for a reason to tear people down, and as someone trying to tell others to have faith, I was a lightning rod for those who liked to cause trouble.  If I did poorly on my tests, if others were stronger, faster, or better than me, then someone would always chime in with ‘what use are the gods? They can’t even help you do this simple task.’  I had to prove they were real.”

The shrine maiden scooted closer.

“Any time there I had a moment of distress, someone would always chime in with ‘don’t worry, just pray to the gods!  That’ll fix everything!’ And as much as I wanted to lash out… I had to take it in stride. But when I devoted time to school, that was time I wasn’t bringing followers in…”

“...that’s when it was difficult to hear them, wasn’t it?”  Reimu whispered. Sanae nodded.

“...even most of the teachers thought I was crazy.”  Sanae stared at the fire, her eyes glossy. “And when I would come home and I couldn’t hear them… when they couldn’t respond…”  She swallowed. “It was terrifying. They raised me, they cared for me, and I knew whenever I failed to bring in enough faith, they were brought one step closer to death.  I couldn’t… I couldn’t allow that…”

They sat in silence for a moment.  The wind charmer continued to stare at the fire.

“I- I know it’s different here.  They’re doing better. But… whenever it feels like I didn’t do enough, all I can remember are those times, and I- I don’t want that to ever happen again.  I…”

The shrine maiden handed Sanae her handkerchief.  She looked at the cloth in confusion, shocked by the sudden feeling of dampness on her cheeks.

“I- I’m sorry.”  She whispered, wiping her tears.  Saying nothing, Reimu removed her socks and stood on the bare earth.

“Let me show you how to calm down.”  The shrine maiden held out a hand to the wind charmer and smiled softly.

Looking at the bare feet, Sanae followed suit and took her hand, finding the ground to have a slight warmth from the nearby fire.

“Your gods are of earth and sky, right Miss Sanae?”  Reimu asked, calming her breathing.

“That’s correct.”

“Here, we join the two.  We stand where the earth and sky meet.  Here, we are in contact with those who are most important to you.  Close your eyes.”

She did as she was told.

“Can you feel the ground?”

“Yes.”

“Can you feel what rests within?”

The pulse of resting life beat beneath her feet.  Slowly, through the darkness, the ground took shape, heading down towards the town and up towards the summit.

“Yes.”

“Where is Divinity Moriya?”

The growing awareness of her surroundings took notice of the question, racing up the mountain.  The footfalls of kappa boots and the clicks of tengu geta echoed in her ears as she felt the smooth tiles of the Moriya Shrine walkway.  The smell of incense filled her nose as she was pulled into the sanctuary, up onto the altar. She could feel her mind wash over the cloth of her god’s dress as she located Suwako.

The curse god sat on the stone altar, legs crossed and a hand holding her chin as her elbow rested on a knee.  She held her free arm out, one of her titanic white snakes lazily wrapped around the limb.

“She’s at home, in the inner sanctuary.”

“How is she?”

The wind charmer could see the god clearly through her mind’s eye, appearing far more solid than her surroundings.  One by one, threads leading to the god appeared, bringing her sustenance. Other threads lead away from her, delivering her strength to those who needed it.

The god slowly grinned, pulsing her energy towards Sanae.

“...she is well.”  She smiled.

“That is good.  Now, can you feel the air?”

Sensing the shift in her believer’s attention, Suwako gave the wind charmer a playful push in farewell.  Finding herself back in her own body, Sanae could feel the chill air swirl around her.

“Yes.”

“Can you feel what rests within?”

Even after living in Gensokyo for a few months, the purity of the air still surprised her.  All around the wind swirled, giving shape to the trees and the buildings. Shifts in the currents gave form to the birds and people swimming through the sky.

“Yes.”

“Where is Divinity Yasaka?”

She could feel her consciousness swirl around the shrine, flying into the air.  The currents pulled her through the Great Youkai forest and above the river running through the Genbu Ravine.  The various tengu flying about provided jetstreams to launch her up the mountain. Looking over the entirety of the Moriya Shrine, she glided over the top, and followed the path under the torii in the lake, taking her to the god hovering over the center.

“She is at Lake Suwa, delegating.”

“How is she?”

Leaning back, Kanako held her mirror, talking to an unseen picture.  Though she could hear no words, Sanae could feel the God of Wind and Rain’s power and influence flowing into her focus.  Once more, tendrils slowly appeared leading to the god, empowering her as others lead away, granting her blessing.

As the unseen entity on the other end of the mirror was distracted, contemplating their exchange, Kanako glanced at Sanae and smiled, gracing the wind charmer with her love.

Tears began to sting her eyes.  “...she is well.”

“That is good to hear.  Now, can you feel Gensokyo?”

Feeling Kanako bid her farewell, the wind charmer’s mind returned to the Hakurei Shrine.  Above and below, she could feel the world take shape.

“Yes.”

“Can you feel what resides within?”

Life, the divine, and the arcane filled her senses as the land took shape and colour; the scene she saw looked nothing like what her eyes had seen, and yet felt correct in where everything resided.

“Yes.”

“Where are you?”

She looked over the land.  Locating the Hakurei Shrine, she found herself.

Her gaze moved up.  Locating the Moriya Shrine, she found herself.

She cast her eyes towards the ground.  Locating the town, she found herself.

“I’m here, but… I’m…”  Understanding welled within her.  “I’m in Gensokyo.”

“How are you?”

She looked into her own eyes.  Underneath the the pain, the fear, the anger she always saw in the mirror, she could see more.  She could see the strength course through her body. She could see the determination in her eyes.  Infusing her heart, she could see the love from those she knew.

“...I am well.”  She smiled, her voice cracking.

“I’m glad to hear that.  Now… come back.”

Sanae opened her eyes.  Reimu smiled back at her.

“I’m aware you already know the basics of communicating with your gods and nature…” The shrine maiden started, letting go of her hand.  “But it’s always important to recall the foundation the basics create. If you find yourself unable to get through a problem, pull yourself back to the beginning.  The first lessons are as such because we always need to keep them in mind… but that can be hard to remember sometimes.”

“You’ve-”  The wind charmer cleared her throat.  “You’ve learned how to communicate with the gods quite well in such a short amount of time.”

Reimu shook her head.

“When I arrived at the Hakurei Shrine years ago, I found the teachings.  Even though the shrine was empty, I practiced them every day. I… I could never feel the original god, but… eventually I could feel Gensokyo.  That… that was enough to let me know I was doing the right thing.”

Once more, the shrine maiden took Sanae’s hand in hers.  “I know this won’t make everything better right away; the fear you’ve lived through was a strong one, and fears tied to loved ones will always affect us the longest.”

The wind charmer nodded.

“But… it might help your concerns pass quicker.  When you feel yourself worry, try your hardest to concentrate on your gods.  If you can’t feel them, then traces the steps backwards: feel for their domain, their elements.  If nothing returns, then you know you’re distracted, and with any luck, realizing that will help you to calm down.  And if you ever need me to, I will stand with you, and help keep you calm. There is nothing wrong with relying on another in times of need.”

“Th… thank you… Reimu.”  She whispered, pulling the shrine maiden close.  “I’m sorry I made you cry.”

“You were frightened for those you love, for those that love you…”  The disciple of Autumn returned the embrace. “I understand.”

For the first time in months, Sanae felt her heart at ease.

The doll in red glanced around.

“And this is the part where everyone goes inside before they start losing toes…” Hourai murmured, placing a warm hand on Reimu’s cold cheek.  The God of Leaves snorted.

 

* * *

 

“So… wind charmer.”  Mima glanced up as the three entered, loading her pipe.  Shizuha continued on as the others moved towards the table.  “Still pissin’ blood?”

Reimu blinked, her eyes going wide.

“No, Miss Reisen’s medicine worked.”  Sanae stated calmly, taking a seat next to the shrine maiden.  Marisa remained leaning against her mother, eyes closed. The spectre nodded, sprinkling additives to the mixture.  “Good… good. Glad you’re smart enough to listen to her.” She handed Reimu the pipe, extending a finger in the wind charmer’s direction.  “The defender was quite surprised you could still stand after that blow, let alone fight. That was an incapacitation move; one her old military used to take prisoners.”

The priestess looked at the pipe the shrine maiden held out to her.  “Oh; I uh, I shouldn’t impose-”

“It’s a peace offering.”  The lich scowled. Sighing, Sanae gingerly took the pipe.  Noting the stare, Reimu leaned close and quietly gave directions as Mima continued.

“At any rate, my niece seems happy with you now, so I suppose my intervention isn’t needed this time either.”  She gave the lightly coughing wind charmer a piercing look. “But next time, I’m not waiting for you to come to your senses again.”

“With all due respect Magister,” she handed the pipe back to Reimu, “if ever act that way to her again, then clearly I’ll _need_ that severity to learn.”

Mima let out a grunt of a laugh as she took the pipe back from her niece; the girl blew out a small cloud of smoke as the lich primed the lighter.

“Arright, I’m hearin’ some realization there.  Good.” Finished herself, she glanced at the contents before passing to her daughter.  Marisa cracked open an eye as she readied the pipe. “It’d be nice if I could go without a day of having to threaten someone, but-”

The glint of the glass caught Sanae’s eye as the magician returned it to the lich.  She noticed the smudges of Marisa’s fingerprints disappear where Mima’s ghostly hands touched.

“Oh you know you’d get bored.”  The daughter snickered. “Probably threaten the fruit tree out back again.”

“Yeah, well…”

Emerald flecks of light shot from the lighter as the sparkwheel struck the flint, sparkling and disappearing before reaching the table.  Slowly looking down at her detached sleeves, Sanae became very aware of the coolness of the fabric as she moved her arms; she could feel a difference in the softness compared to her skirt.

“That tree knows what it did.”

An herbal smell filled the air as the lich opened a pouch, dominating all other scents.  Mima glanced at the wind charmer, arching an eyebrow.

“That-”  Sanae blinked, frowning for a moment.  “That… wasn’t tobacco… was it?”

The lich slowly lowered her face into her hand, wincing.

“You’re from outside, that’s right.”  She whispered, realization striking her.  “No dear, it’s not.”

“A-ah.”  The wind charmer nodded slowly.  Imperfections in the wood became apparent where the varnish on the table had worn through.  Sanae lightly traced her fingers around the wear mark, trying to determine what had made such a shape.  Mima let out a heavy sigh.

“...I’ll make sure you get home safely.”

 

* * *

 

Interlude (Spring)

 

“I know you like early mornings Reimu, but for the love of Gran…”  Hourai yawned as the shrine maiden of Autumn swept the petals.

“Well, Tewi said she found the markings of a mass grave last night-”

“I clearly chose the wrong time to stop paying attention to what she was saying, I see…”  The doll grimaced. Reimu smiled.

“No, no, no!  It’s near the town, so-”

“ _Ah._ ”  She waved her hand in understanding as she stifled a yawn.  “Arright, arright.”

“So I’d just like to make sure everything is ready here, so we won’t have complications on our end, at least.”

“So,” A voice murmured from directly behind Reimu, causing the two to flinch, “power _has_ come back here.”

“Oh, hello there!”  The shrine maiden smiled up at the woman.  “Welcome to the Haku-”

The pink-haired woman disappeared from view as the shrine maiden started to speak.  Blinking in confusion, the shrine maiden was caught off-guard once more as a rag pressed over her face.  Her vision began to tunnel.

“Let’s see if the training works this time…”

 

* * *

 

Descending from the sky, Sanae could see more chaos than normal at the Hakurei Shrine.  With two magicians living there, and another two which visited regularly, the wind charmer had come to expect anything but what she considered normal for the small shrine.

Having ended up at odds with members of the Hakurei Clan more often than she would like to admit, she had learned to tell when Mima was less than pleased.  Upon approach, she could see the lich was beyond a state of livid, much like her daughter. Glancing up towards the offertory box, the two Autumn gods sat with their hands joined and their eyes closed.  With Spring in bloom, their season was as far away is it could be for them, leaving them at low energy for most of the day.

“Uh good morn- well, let’s not start the day with lies, I suppose…”  Sanae sighed as the two magicians continued to scream, sometimes at one another, sometimes at their spells.  She began to wonder if perhaps a spell had simply removed their sense of volume control. “What’s wrong, folks?”

“Someone grabbed the kid.”  Suika muttered, appearing from behind.  “Best not to get in their way.”

“They’re looking pretty mad.”  The wind charmer nodded. The black-white’s volume dropped to standard casting levels as she tried something.  The spell finished, she looked at the gods; Minoriko shook her head, eyes still closed. Marisa returned to her screaming and hollering.

“Yeah, there’s that,”  The tiny oni grimaced before taking a swig from her gourd.  “But-”

The slid open, clacking harder than normal.  The two magician’s paused in their loud antics, turning to Alice as she walked down the stairs approaching them.

As the tall puppeteer walked towards her peers and associates, Sanae could feel the hairs stand up on the back of her neck.  While the witches of Hakurei let their anger out wildly, the Makaian witch kept hers pressurized. The fluctuations in her eyes were chaotic, neither shifting simultaneously as before.

“Yeah, stay away from that one.”  Suika whispered. “Fighting’s fun, but… she’s lookin’ to annihilate somethin’.”

“What’dja get?”  Mima finally asked.

“‘Captured’, ‘Healthy’, ‘Safe’.”  She stated. The wind charmer winced; it was disconcerting to feel the air itself crack from the power of her words.  The lich went quiet as she contemplated what she had been told.

“What do you know so far?”  She asked Suika.

“Not much.  She was grabbed early this morning, and from what they can tell, she’s on Youkai Mountain.”  The oni sighed. “Marisa went to investigate, but there’s some weird fuckin’ thing there that makes it hard to reach or somethin’; ya get turned around, even if you’re flying right at it, I guess.”

Wheels began to turn in the priestess’ head.

“Right now, Mima’s trying to figure out how to crack the field, while Margatroid’s watchin’ Reimu’s health.  I guess Hourai’s with her, but even direct communication with the doll is fucked. She’s doing some sort of ouija shit to find things out, but it’s not givin’ anything about how to get to where she is.”

Suika opened her mouth to continue before pausing, looking at Mima.  The oni began to grimace. “Look kid, there's one thing I know about magicians and that's when they go from loud to quiet without resolving their problem, things are about to die screaming.” She held out a hand to Alice and Mima.  “Two out of three here just went quiet, and Reimu’s still not here. You might want to head home and warn your gods that the mountain is in danger. Before they find out, you know, after the fact. Either way…” the oni began to dissolve, “I'm outta here.”

Sighing to herself, Sanae closed her eyes and concentrated. Looking over the mountain, she felt around for the spot of Autumn mixed in with the Spring.

“Yasaka, give me _strength_ …” She murmured as she flew off, leaving the magicians to their machinations.

 

* * *

 

“I think she's yelling at the animals again…” Hourai whispered as she looked through the doorway.  “Yellin’ at _some_ thin’, anyway.”  Creeping away from the edge, she looked back at the shrine maiden, laying on the ground.  “Can you reach either of your gods?”

“I don’t seem to be able to;” she murmured, trying to remain still.  “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, I was just hoping this was only fucking up the arcane instead of the divine as well.  Then again… it might just be the wrong season for them, too.”

Ever since arriving at the strange house, the shrine maiden continued to be asleep when their captor came near.  While Reimu was completely incapable of deception of any form, Hourai’s sleep magic helped her play the part.

The doll had scrambled into one of the shrine maiden’s detached sleeves as she was carried away, undetected by their captor.  While trying to reach their families, the doll took stock of their surroundings, attempting to determine where they were.

“Wait a moment…”  The doll crept back over to the door.  “Reimu, get up, she’s yelling at a person.  I think she’ll be a bit.”

Getting off the futon, the shrine maiden made her way to the door.

“Hold up, hold up… you _kidnapped_ someone?”  There was familiar laughter through a growl of frustration.  “Kasen, what the _fuck?_ ”

“It’s- not- kidnapping!”  The other person finally yelled back.  “She’s th-”

“Kasen!  You took someone.  Without. Their. Permission!”  The other voice continued to laugh.  “That’s like, the _definition_ of kidnapping!”

“...that’s Miss Komachi.”  Reimu blinked.

“Shut up!  It’s the Hakurei shrine maiden, she-”

“Holy shit, you kidnapped _Reimu?!_ ”  Hourai could hear the humorous tone in the ferryman’s voice start to trade out with fear.  “What is _wrong with you?_ Do you have _any idea_ what’s going to happen when her Auntie Mi-”

“ _Listen._ ”  Kasen ordered.  “She’s the Hakurei shrine maiden.  She has a responsibility to serve Gensokyo, and her god finally came back, so now I can train her.”

“She’s already serving Gensokyo, you idiot!”

“No, she’s not!  She had no power, she was weak!  I tried to tr-”

“Anyone who bitch slaps the Yamaxanadu on behalf of another isn’t weak, Kasen.”

“I-”  The two could hear the one named Kasen falter.  “What?”

Glancing behind herself, Hourai quickly pat Reimu on the shoulder.  The shrine maiden turned around to see Sanae, frowning down at the two.

“Miss Sanae!”  Reimu whispered, beaming up at the girl.

“What are you two doing?”  She asked, keeping her voice low.  Reimu held her companion up to the wind charmer.

“Pinky out there grabbed us this morning.”  Hourai quietly informed her; her volume was low, but Sanae could pick up on the edge within it.  “She’s stealthy, but I don’t know how perceptive she is; I haven’t had time to get the layout of the place to try and plan an escape, either.”

Looking through the opening in the doorway, she could see the hermit and the ferryman shouting at one another.

“There’s already someone there exterminating youkai, you dumbass!”

“It’s supposed to be the Hakurei shrine maidens doing that!”

Sanae turned back to the two.  “Yeah, let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

“Thank you for rescuing me, Miss Sanae.”

The wind charmer looked down at the girl in her arms as she flew back towards the Hakurei Shrine.

“...you dork.”  She shook her head and looked at the path ahead.  The absurdity of what had just occurred began to settle in.

“Aw…!”  The shrine maiden frowned up at her.  Sanae glanced back down; she started to grin.

“Don’t give me that look!  You made your friends and family worry about you!”  She began to shake with soft laughter. “What do you think you are, some old school video game princess?  Dork.”

“W-well-!  It’s not like I meant to be captured!”

Sanae’s laughter increased.  “Yasaka’s love, Reimu! Nobody _means_ to be kidnapped!”

“W-well, I mean!  I had Hourai with me, nobody’s ever snuck up on her before!”

“Not outside of combat, anyway.”  The doll in red nodded, her tone serious.  “I need to talk to mother about that; I thought I had done all I could to keep my senses in peak shape.  And the fact I couldn’t reach home _or_ my sister is also aggravating…”

“Hm…” The wind charmer considered their words; she had not previously given thought to how little actually got by the doll.  “I suppose that’s true.” She turned her attention to the path, holding up her nose. “Actually no, you still put the whole mountain in danger.  I live here, you know!”

“But-”

“Dork.”

“Aw…”

“Oh, stop sulking!”  She grinned, butting heads with Reimu.  “You aren’t hurt and now you’re going home.  Be happy!”

“That’s true.”  The shrine maiden gave the wind charmer a small smile.  “Thank you again for rescuing us. I really do appreciate it.”

“Yeah, yeah…”  She shook her head, grinning.

“...even if you _are_ being mean…”

“Really?!   _Really, Reimu?_ ”

The two began to laugh.

 

* * *

 

“No, no I agree,” Marisa nodded, “a distortion field would be tied to a location, so moving the land could theoretically break the anchor points of the spell, especially if the move is fast or chaotic enough.”

“But blowing up the base of the mountain would cause too much devastation, harming Reimu.”  Mima concluded once again.

“If you just remove a few horizontal planes, yes.  But! If you slice the mountain at an angle, it would slide down, thus moving the location of the field away from the building!”

The lich scratched her chin.  “...I’m listening.”

As the two tried to convince one another of the best way to take down a mountain, Alice continued to pace, going over her options.  Shanghai sat upright.

“I have word from Hourai!”  She announced. The magicians and gods turned to the doll in blue.  “She says they are safe, and on the way home; they will be here shortly.”

“Did she say-”

Shanghai held up her hands before others could start asking questions.  “That’s all she said, I’m sorry. She sounded distracted, so I don’t know if they’re being followed, or if she was simply low on reserves.  Either way, they should be here soon. I believe they are fine, otherwise that would have been likely the first thing she would have said, so we could be prepared.”

“That’s… very true.”  Alice nodded, letting out a sigh of relief.  Her colour of her eyes began to synchronize once more before returning to their standard sapphire blue.  “Thank you, dear.”

“Okay… okay,”  Marisa nodded, feeling a little light-headed.  “Okay, I guess we can leave the mountain alone… this time, anyway.”

“This time.”  Mima nodded.

“I suggest a quick breakfast!”  Shanghai smiled. “I bet those two will be hungry, after all!”

“That’s- that’s not a bad idea…” Alice nodded, walking towards the house.  She could feel her brow line with sweat.

“Food might help stabilize that feedback loop as well…” The doll in blue added quietly.

“Trust me, I plan to taste test…”

 

“So… you _know_ her, then?”

Reimu chewed on her lip for a moment.  “Well, ‘know’ might be too strong of a word; I met her once, before Auntie Mima and Marisa moved in.

“Ah, that was a bit ago.”  Sanae nodded. “So what did she say back then?”

“Well, she offered to train me, but since my god had left long ago, she said it was useless after all and took me back to the shrine.”

The wind charmer frowned.

“That’s… not cool.”

Reimu shrugged.  “She told me to just go live in the town while I could, but I wanted to stay, because that’s what my family did.  A few weeks later, Auntie Mima and Marisa showed up, and then it’s been getting better since.”

Sanae opened her mouth, but paused, looking at the girl once more.  Her eyes drifted to the doll sitting in Reimu’s lap.

“Hourai, does she let stuff like that bug her?”

The doll shrugged a bit.  “More than she should. When it really gets to her, there’s usually my mother or someone else larger than I to give her a hug.”

“Okay, well, just… you know, you’re- you’re doing a lot of good here, Reimu.  You’re making a difference without having to fight.”

“Thank you, Miss Sanae!”

“I mean, even if you _are_ a dork sometimes…”

“Ohhh…!”

“Arright you two…” Hourai called as she sat up, taking in the sights.  “We’re getting close to home, and even if your teasing isn’t bothering Reimu right now…”

“No, no… I saw how they were.”  The wind charmer grimaced.

“They’ve probably calmed down a bit since I contacted them, but… you know.”

Landing at the torii, the three could see the two gods perk up at their arrival.  The door opened as they approached, Alice and Marisa jogged towards them.

Sanae held the shrine maiden out to Marisa.

“One shrine maiden returned, magisters.”  She smiled softly.

“Holy shit, thank you so much Sanae!”  The magician hugged her sister close.

“Not a problem.”  She nodded. She glanced at the doll as Hourai flew into her mother’s arms.  “I… kind of live on that mountain, and I’d prefer not to see it reduced to slag, you know?”

“Y-yeah… sorry, it’s just-”

The wind charmer held up a hand and shook her head.  “It’s alright, I understand how crazy er… _everyone_ gets about her.  For what it’s worth, while I’m not excusing it at all, I don’t think she was in any danger.”

“You know who had her?”  Alice asked; Sanae nodded.

“She lives kinda near our shrine; Divinity Yasaka and I chat with her sometimes, but for the most part we leave one another alone.  She’s a hermit-”

_sssSSSF._

Turning towards the walkway, they could see Komachi and the hermit in question.  Seeing the looks of the magicians as she gave a wave, the ferryman took a seven league step away from the pink-haired woman.   _sssSSSF_.

“Gods, this shrine’s been infested with magicians and youkai…”  She muttered as she cracked her knuckles; she glanced at the wind charmer.  “Oh, Sanae. What are you doing here?”

“Hello Kasen,” She nodded, her face neutral, “I’m simply returning my friend to her home and family.”

The hermit bristled.  “So it _was_ you that broke into my training dojo!  I’ve told you not to do that! I don’t know _how_ you keep getting in, but-”

“Uh, I fly over and go in.”  Sanae arched an eyebrow. Marisa and Alice exchanged looks.  “Like… any other place I go. Also? That’s a mansion.”

“You shouldn’t be able to- arrrgh…!”  She shook her head and growled. “Look, that’s for another time.  The god for this shrine finally came back, so I-”

“Nnno they didn’t.”  Marisa interrupted. Kasen blinked and scowled at her.

“Silence, mage.  You need to clear out of here before I force you out.  At any rate-”

“Sanae-”  Marisa passed her sister off to the puppeteer, “I don’t know who your new friend is here-”

“More of an acquaintance, really…”

“-but I’m going to fuckin’ blast her to kingdom come.”

“Alright!”  Mima threw the door flew open, making the two Autumn gods jump.  “What’s with all the-”

Kasen’s eyes went wide at the sight of the lich.  Moving like greased lightning, the hermit slammed her fist into Mima’s face.

“Ma!”

“I should have known _you_ would have defiled this shrine!”  The hermit growled as she spun around, aiming her heel at Mima’s neck.

Sparks flew as her foot connected with the lich’s shield, sending the hermit back off the steps.  Mima’s cape morphed into large wings as she descended the stairs, her glowing eyes wide with fury.  The tips of the specter’s fingers extended into claws as her skin cracked open, pouring smoke out from within.

“ **You…!** ”  The sky began to darken.

Alice stepped back with Reimu in tow as Sanae pulled Marisa away, unable to look away from the spectre.  She had heard the stories of the lich’s past, but the wind charmer had only caught glimpses of Mima’s strength in her glares.  She found herself understanding why even Suwako had warned her not to upset the lich too much.

“Auntie…!”  Reimu called.  “Please remember the rules!”

“Reimu,” Kasen growled, “who do you think you’re-”

A blast of necrotic energy pushed the hermit back again.  Gritting her teeth, Kasen could see a ring of cards float up, circling the lich’s head.

“ **Kasen Ibaraki…** ”  Mima growled, her voice rattling the walkway.  A card fell into her open hand. “ **Ten cards.** ”

“You can’t win, li-”

Light shined from the card.  “ **ULTIMA SIGN:  VAS CORP HUR!** ”

 

* * *

 

“Who the fuck is that?”

The two magicians turned to see their lunarian rabbit friend, scowling at the fight.  Reimu smiled at her.

“Hello Miss Reisen!  That’s Miss Ibaraki, she um…”

“She kidnapped you, dear.”  Alice stated through clenched teeth.  “Do _not_ try rephrase that one, please.”

“W-well!  I met her once before, and it seemed to have something to do with training-”

“Arright, arright,” Reisen held up a hand, “I can see this has a more complicated answer, despite the fact Alice basically just told me ‘this is totally justified’.  Howev-”

“Aw…”

“However, right now, Mima is also scaring the shit out of Tewi.”

The group turned and watched the fight once more.  Between the lich’s enraged voice and the blackened sky around the shrine, the magicians and shrine maiden began to understand how others might find such things disconcerting.  The rabbit continued on.

“And given that half of the meds I take every day are to keep the night terrors away… I’m, you know, _kind of sympathetic to her on this._ ”  She put a hand on the shrine maiden’s shoulder.  “Give.”

Alice sighed as she handed Reimu over to Reisen.  “Alright, you two go calm down Tewi, we’ll see if we can get Mima to settle down… or at least finish this quickly.”

“Oh, that’s easy.”  Marisa nodded as her sister and friend left.  “Hey Ma!” She shouted up towards the fight. “Wrap it up, we got stuff to do and you’re scarin’ the bunny!”

Mima’s hand paused as she reached towards a card.  Her eyes moved from her daughter to the rabbit as Kasen’s attacks cracked the shield surrounding her.  The cards shifted slightly as she reached up once more.

“ **Fantasy Sign…** ”

“Give it up, ghost!”  The hermit screamed, shattering the field with a spinning kick.

“ **Comet.** ”

“Time to send you to-!”

sss _sss_ **sss** ** _sss_ SSS** ** _SSS_** ** _SSSHHH KRACK!_**

Before she could finish, a rather large flaming rock flew from the sky, striking Kasen in the back of the head.  The hermit blinked as she stumbled forward before falling over. Those at the shrine could feel the spell card field drop, signifying the end of the fight.

Mima looked at Sanae, then at Komachi.

“ **Who is resp** onsible for returning my niece and her guardian?”

“That’d be her.”  Marisa pointed to the wind charmer.

“You have my thanks, Sanae.”

“Oh, not a problem.”  She nodded. “I uh, kind of live on the mountain you were planning to destroy, so it wasn’t completely altruistic, but…”

Mima cracked a grin as her wings returned to her cape.  “Regardless, we have Reimu back, and that’s all I care about.  Is everyone ready?”

“All ready here.”  Marisa nodded.

“Divinity Moriya is likely waiting near the town walls by now.”  The wind charmer answered, glancing at the unconscious hermit. “Do we need to…?”

“Yukari can take care of her.”  Mima muttered, floating over her defeated opponent.  The others began to follow. “Ferryman?”

“Yeah, yeah…” Komachi yawned, falling in line.

“How did you locate Reimu?”  The lich asked as they walked down the stairs.  “Did you already know the path?”

“Er… I flew in, looked around, and found them in a room, listening to Kasen and Miss Komachi yell at one another.  Then we left.”

She thought for a moment before sighing.  “...you aren’t always aware when you use your power, are you?”

The wind charmer grumbled.  “Divinity Yasaka has asked the same thing before.”

“I’m not trying to chastise you, mind.  Inherent powers are sometimes beyond our control, for good or ill.  However, it’s important to realize if you have abilities which can do that, in order not to… allow accidents to occur, shall we say.”

“I see.”

Marisa glanced at the wind charmer.  “Ma only gives advice like that to people she likes, or if they’re someone Reimu is trying to befriend… and the latter is only given a token effort at best.  She’s not tellin’ ya to get your shit together, just warnin’ ya of the problems of such things.”

“Ah.  Thank you, then.”

“So, you know,” Marisa began to grin, “she’s not gonna bust your bra for ignoring her this time.”

“ _Much appreciated._ ”

Arriving at the base of the stairs, they found Reimu and Reisen, sitting with Tewi.  The bunny girl had calmed down to a degree, but it was clear she had yet to return to her usual cheerful demeanor.

“Apologies for upsetting you, Miss Tewi.”  Mima bowed. “Someone decided to kidnap my niece, and after Sanae returned her to me, the kidnapper decided to punch me in the face.”  She paused for a moment. “I was… upset, as you can imagine.”

“That- that-”  The bunny shook her head.  “Let- let’s just go. Things will be better if we move.”

“Of course.”

 

* * *

 

“Urgh…”

Kasen rubbed the back of her head as she pushed herself off the ground.

“So,” A familiar voice called out.  In front of her, a gap in spacetime appeared; Yukari rose from the top and rested an elbow on the edge.  “I see you met Mima.” She smiled.

 

* * *

 

As they approached the outer walls of the town, the group spotted the curse god leaning against the wall, eating a stick of dango.

“Hey, kids.”  She waved. “Glad you could make it.  Make it to this thing that you invited me to.  Like… an hour ago.”

“We came very close to having one more body to deal with here, trust me.”  The lich snapped. Suwako smirked. “At any rate… lead the way, Tewi.”

 

Moving through some of the trees near the wall outside of town, everyone could see the flora begin to wither as they approached a clearing.  The ground was dry and cracked, uneven mounds scattered through the area. Mima nodded to herself as Suwako and Sanae winced, feeling the unnatural flow of the elements in the area.  Komachi looked at her pocket watch as the lich moved to the center of the area.

“Yeah… yeah, this is an old site.”  Mima sighed. “Thank you, Tewi.”

The bunny just nodded, staying back with the others.  The ferryman continued to watch the time.

“So… you told me you wanted Suwako for a ritual,” the wind charmer noted quietly, “but what’s going on?”

Marisa wrapped an arm around Reimu’s shoulder as she sighed.  “...we don’t refer to Ma as an Evil Spirit because we think it’s cute.  We call her that because that’s what she is by definition.”

“Okay?”

“I have a kill count in the thousands.”  Mima cut to the chase as she held out her arms, getting a feel for the area.  “Most of them were people in the town. And buried here… are the bodies from one of my attacks.  I used the dead from my opening salvo for my shock troops, and once they were taken down, they were usually disposed of by the townsfolk in mass graves… like this one.”

“...work is now starting.”  Komachi announced as the quarter hour struck.

Raising her arms, the ground began to shudder as heavily decayed bodies and broken skeletons emerged from the earth, floating above their former master.  Surrounding trees broke and bent away from the clearing as the barren earth underneath churned, bringing large stones from far under.

“Sweetie, Alice, watch for embers if you would…”

As stones continued to float to the top of the whirlpool of dirt, the bodies burst into flames, glowing white-hot as the immolation reduced them to ash.  Scattered here and there, glowing orbs of light could be seen where some of the bodies had been. Spinning her scythe around, Komachi began to reap the souls of those who had remained with their physical forms, unaware of what had happened to them.

Turning her attention to the stones, Mima whispered spidery words of magic as she pointed at one block.  Glowing lines appeared briefly before unwanted pieces broke off, creating a gravestone. Waving a hand, the other stones followed suit until each ash pile had a stone.

The earth slowed and stopped, turning into a flat, level plane of dirt.  The lich interred the ashes and set the gravestones down. With one last wave of her hand, names appeared on each plot, turning the mass grave into a proper graveyard.  The lich glanced at the curse god as she approached the group.

“Your turn, if you could be so kind…”

Taking her place, Suwako walked into the middle of the graveyard.  She nodded as she looked around, getting a feel for what had been done.  Spinning in a circle, she slammed her hands down on the ground; light emerged from below as she let her power infuse the land, consecrating it.

The light dimmed and faded, leaving rich soil in its place.  The withered trees surrounding the graveyard looked healthier, no longer absorbing the lingering necrotic energies.  The curse god and ferryman returned to the group, looking at their work.

“Well…” Mima sighed, “that’s about a hundred down.”

Marisa grabbed her mother’s shoulder as Tewi nodded.  The bunny walked forward, touching one of the gravestones.  Mima cleared her throat.

“Thank you again… for finding this.  It’s not like this just made it all okay, but…” she looked at the souls Komachi had in tow, “it at least helps some of them move on.”

“That actually felt pretty good.”  Suwako nodded. “Let me know when you find another one.”

“We will…”  Mima sighed.

Tewi slowly went to a knee, whispering a word of farewell.

“...there’s a lot more, after all.”


End file.
